Mark Punzalan,
Partner & Head of Litigation
CONTACT:
mark@chanpunzalan.com
650.481.8112
Mark is the Head of Litigation at Chan + Punzalan, where he leads the firm’s litigation matters in the areas of trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, and commercial litigation. With two decades of experience litigating high-stakes disputes, he has been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine as one of the Top 100 Northern California Super Lawyers for seven consecutive years (2020-2026). Chan + Punzalan has also been honored by the Daily Journal in its Top Boutique Law Firms in California list.
Beyond managing the firm’s litigation matters, Mark teaches litigation skills at Stanford Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop and co-authored “Employee Mobility in California – Trade Secrets, No-Poach Agreements, Non-Solicitation Agreements” in the Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) treatise on California Employment Law. He has also chaired the Judiciary Committees for both the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) and the Asian American Bar Association (AABA), and served as a Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Mark has also held leadership positions across the legal community, including President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley (APABA Silicon Valley), Regional Governor for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), and President of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC).
Mark received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA (2001) and his law degree from Santa Clara University (2006).
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Trade Secret Litigation
Copyright Litigation
Trademark Litigation
Commercial Litigation
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J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law, 2006
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
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• Super Lawyers Magazine Top 100 Lawyers List, 2020-2025
• Super Lawyers Magazine “Northern California Super Lawyer,” 2016-2019
• Super Lawyers Magazine “Northern California Rising Star,” 2015
• Unity Award, Minority Bar Coalition, 2012, 2017
• Pro Bono Project Award, Santa Clara University School of Law, 2004, 2005, and 2006
• Honors Moot Court Board, Committee Chair, Santa Clara University School of Law, 2006
• Best Brief, Appellate Advocacy, Santa Clara University School of Law, 2005
• CALI Excellence for the Future Award, Appellate Advocacy, 2005
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California State Courts
Northern District of California
Central District of California
Southern District of California
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“Beyond the Brief: AI’s Role in Modern Lawyering,” 2025 Cal-APABA Annual Conference (Costa Mesa, California), September 6, 2025
“Hot Topics in Intellectual Property Litigation - Data as the ‘New Oil’ and IP Rights in a Data-Driven World,” Bar Association of San Francisco, April 17, 2025
“The Business Divorce: Litigating Founders’ Disputes,” Bar Association of San Francisco, April 16, 2024
“Overcoming Imposter Syndrome In Representing Clients,” Bar Association of San Francisco, October 13, 2022
“Employee Mobility – Trade Secrets, No-Poach Agreements, and Non-Solicitation Agreements,” Practising Law Institute, September 13, 2022
“How to Build a Small Law Firm: Building, Scaling, and Thriving in 2022,” September 15, 2022
“APABA Silicon Valley Career Panel: The Realities of Practice,” June 15, 2022
“Employee Mobility – Trade Secrets, No-Poach Agreements, and Non-Solicitation Agreements,” Practising Law Institute, September 29, 2021
“Throwing a Rock at the Glass Ceiling,” Bar Association of San Francisco, June 16, 2021
“Why the Mental Health of Your Colleagues and Employees Matter,” Bar Association of San Francisco, January 26, 2021
“How Attorneys Can Face the Ongoing Challenges Faced by Law Firms,” Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley, June 24, 2020
“Resolving Cases in the World of COVID-19: Tips from Mediators on Settling Cases Remotely,” Bar Association of San Francisco, May 13, 2020
"Law Firm Mergers: Why Join Forces?," Asian American Bar Association, May 22, 2019
"Intellectual Property Law: The Basics," ProVisors, April 16, 2019
“Waymo v. Uber: A Case Study in Trade Secrets Litigation,” Provisors, February 14, 2019.
“Protecting Your Brand with Trademark Laws,” Palo Alto Bar Association, April 14, 2018
“Practicing Before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board,” Palo Alto Area Bar Association, March 14, 2018
“Trade Secrets and Non-Compete Agreements,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, March 1, 2018
“Artificial Intelligence & Its Impact on the Practice of Law,” Bar Association of San Francisco, October 18, 2017
“Trademark Litigation 101: Fighting Disputes Over a Company's Brand Name,” Palo Alto Bar Association, February 22, 2017
“Cannabis Laws in California,” Moderator, Bar Association of San Francisco, September 14, 2016
“An Evening with Filipino-American Trial Attorneys,” Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (at DLA Piper, San Francisco), April 20, 2016
“The Basics of Trademark Law,” San Francisco Law Library, April 6, 2016
“The Ethical and Practical Considerations of Co-Counsel Relationships,” State Bar of California, January 29, 2015
“Ethical Aspects of Legal Marketing and Promotion,” Santa Clara Law, November 2015.
“One Client, Multiple Attorneys: The Ethical and Practical Considerations of Co-Counsel Arrangements,” Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, August 2015
“Data Privacy Law 101: An Overview of U.S. Data Privacy and Security Laws,” Moderator, Bar Association of San Francisco, August 2015
“The Ethics of Co-Counseling,” Santa Clara Law, January 2015
“Starting A Law Firm & Choosing The Right Business Entity,” Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, August 2014
“Trademark Law 101: Protecting a Company's Name and Brand Identity,” Redwood Law Center, May 2013
"Trade Secret Protection for Businesses,” Business Networking International, April 2013
“Choosing the Right Business Entity: Legal Structures for Doing Business in California,” United Architects of the Philippines, January 2013
“Using Technology Effectively in the Courtroom,” Moderator, Bar Association of San Francisco, October 2012
“Protecting Your Customers' Personal Information: California's Privacy Requirements for Businesses,” Redwood Law Center, September 2012
“New Developments in Section 230 Immunity and the DMCA Safe Harbor - A Discussion of Legal Issues for Experienced Internet Counsel) and Those That Want To Be),” Moderator, Bar Association of San Francisco, January 2011
“The DMCA 12 Years Later: Pitting Copyright Protection against Technology Innovation,” Moderator, Bar Association of San Francisco, December 2010
“Protecting Your IP: Patents vs. Trade Secrets,” Moderator, Bar Association of San Francisco, October 2008
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Mark Punzalan, Employee Mobility – Trade Secrets, No-Poach Agreements, and Non-Solicitation Agreements, Practising Law Institute on Employment Law, 2023
Mark Punzalan and Stephen Stanwood, Protecting Customer Lists as Trade Secrets, California Lawyer (Oct. 17, 2017)
Mark Punzalan and Stephen Stanwood, What are the Copyright Risks of Creating a Website Based on Third-Party Content? Tech Law Questions, Santa Clara High Tech Law Journal, May 16, 2016
Mark Punzalan, Reducing the Chances of a Trade Secrets Lawsuit: How to Advise Your Business Clients, California State Bar, Big News for Solo and Small Firms, Fall 2015
Mark Punzalan and Kevin Bovard, Web Providers and the Communications Decency Act of 1996, The Bar Association of San Francisco Bulletin, July 2009, at 8
Mark Punzalan and Dennis Fernandez, Patent Strategies for the Wireless Technology Revolution, The Patent Lawyer, Vol. 1, Issue 2, Oct. 2004, at 10
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APA UCLA
Director-at-Large, 2023 - presentAsian American Bar Association (AABA)
Co-Chair, Judiciary Committee, 2013 - 2023Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley (APABA Silicon Valley)
President, 2019 – 2020
Vice President, External Affairs, 2016 - 2018
Board of Directors, 2015 - 2022
Partners Committee Co-Chair, 2014 - 2020
Solo and Small Firm Committee Co-Chair, 2014 - 2020Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF)
Board Member, Justice and Diversity Center, 2022 - present
Chair, Judiciary Committee, 2022 - 2023
Chair, Solo and Small Firm Committee, 2019 - 2020
Co-Chair, Solo and Small Firm Committee, 2016 - 2018
Solo and Small Firm Committee, MCLE Section Co-Chair, 2014 - 2017
Professional Development Section Co-Chair, Barristers Club, 2012
Intellectual Property/Internet Section Co-Chair, 2008 - 2011Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC)
President, 2011 - 2012National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
Regional Governor, 2021 - 2023National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA)
Treasurer, 2014 - 2018Provisors
Group Leader, Palo Alto 2Stanford Law School
Guest Faculty, 2022 - presentU.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative, 2019 - 2023